BATTLEFIELD

The way to the site of the Battle of Kulikovo starts near the legendary confluence of the Don and the Nepriadva rivers. The battlefield is situated approximately in 5 kilometers from the modern village of Monastyrshchino. When choosing the place of the battle, Moscows Prince Dmitry set a goal to conduct a frontal fight and not to allow the enemy to use its favorite maneuver turning movement over the flank and attacking from the back. The Russian army drew into an order of three lines. Flanks were covered by the precipitous shores of the Nizhniy Dubik and Smolka Rivers. The commander hid the Ambush regiment behind the Wood of Green Oaks.
Historians divide the field of the battle into two unequal parts. The first, smaller one is the place where the battle between Russian and the Golden Horde took place. That very small place, which is 1.5 square kilometers, was the epicenter of the battle. It was there where six centuries ago the blood was running, lances were breaking, and where today our archeologists are finding relics of the Battle of Kulikovo.
Historians understand by the battle place the territory that was occupied by the armies on the eve of the event. The Russians camp was situated in the village of Monastyrshchino while the Golden Horde’s camp was situated not far from the Red Hill. The route of armies is no less important for researchers. On the eve of the battle, soldiers under Dmitry Donskoy organized a crossing of the Don River near the Tatinki ford and after the battle; the Golden Horde was pursued to the Krasivaya Mecha River. Under such conditions, the field square of the Battle of Kulikovo was 4x8 square kilometers.
Unfortunately, today the site of the battle represents the agricultural landscape. Active plowing of lands in the 20th century has led to the destruction of forests, including the famous Wood of Green Oaks. Destroying of the hallowed forests led to the destruction of ravines, shallowing of the Smolka and Nizhiy Dubik Rivers. Paleobotanical research helped to imagine this picture of the past; thanks to them the landscape of the Kulikovo field of 1380 can be restored.
Young oaks, planted on the site of the Wood of Green Oaks, are strengthening year after year. Slopes and fields are turning into storming sea of feather grass. Step after step, employees of the State Museum-Preserve “The Kulikovo Field” are reviving relict plots of steppa and steppe plants that are reared for Tula Land.
Visitors can find the epicenter of the battle with the help of the map or by ordering an excursion in Russian or English. When entering the field of the battle there is a sign with the road map, which helps to orient the visitor and allows them to find the epicenter more easily.